


Meeting Death

by Lethotep



Category: Discworld - Terry Pratchett, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, One Shot, Temporary Character Death, but also maybe something else?, look it's Death and Papyrus having a brief convo, lots of uppercase, this is character death technically... but that doesn't affect his screentime, two uppercase skeletons talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 05:30:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10507266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lethotep/pseuds/Lethotep
Summary: Papyrus meets Death.





	

“WELL!” The skeleton said as he watched his dust drift away in the breeze, “THAT WAS UNEXPECTED!”

 

“IT USUALLY IS” another voice spoke from off to the side.

 

“IT’S JUST, I RAISED MY DEFENCES AS MUCH AS I COULD - BUT THEY STILL DUSTED ME IN ONE HIT!” 

 

Papyrus twisted his gloved hands in the ragged edge of his scarf, as he watched the child walk through what remained of him without so much as a look of concern “I DO HOPE THEY REALISE THEY DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS!”

 

Papyrus paused, and side eyed the figure next to him. Papyrus turned to face the other figure, “SAY... DO I KNOW YOU? THERE AREN’T THAT MANY SKELETON MONSTERS AROUND, BUT YOU  _ DO  _ SEEM AWFULLY FAMILIAR.”

 

“PEOPLE OFTEN FIND ME FAMILIAR.” Death spoke, voice echoingly loud in the stillness, yet somehow muted. He reached into the folds of his cloak to retrieve an hourglass from somewhere on his person.

 

Finding what he was looking for, he brought it up to eye socket level with a hand as steady and foreboding as fate.

 

“AH.” Death said abruptly, looking at the twisted object of glass and sand that could  _ theoretically  _ be called an hourglass, but only if the theory lacked any understanding of scientific or magical principles. It did contain glass and flowing sand, but that was where the similarities ended. It was something of a mess.

 

Papyrus peered at the strange object in confusion, before looking up into the face of the imposing figure.

 

Death sighed, “OH BOTHER.” 

 

Papyrus looked quizzically back at the object, “WHAT’S THAT?”

 

Death turned his blue eye-lights on Papyrus, “YOUR LIFE.”

 

“OH!” Papyrus said in realisation.

 

Death flicked a boney finger at one of the glass funnels still pouring sand, which split off into some possibly quantum number within itself, some coming to a stop and others flowing normally. There were some that seemed to defy gravity as easily as Papyrus himself did, as the sand flowed upwards and in directions that could only work with the addition of magic and quite likely something else.

 

Death sighed, “IT SEEMS THE TROUSERS OF TIME HAVE FAR TOO MANY LEGS.”

 

So many legs in fact, that the trousers might have belonged to an arachnid of some sort. Or even more likely, some sort of well-dressed centipede.

 

“...AND THE TROUSERS ARE QUITE LIKELY ALSO STUCK IN SOME SORT OF ENCLOSED SPACE. SUCH AS AN AQUARIUM. OR AS THE CASE MAY BE, A LARGE CAVERN. ONLY THE ENCLOSURE IN QUESTION APPEARS TO BE COLLUDING WITH TIME AND SPACE.” 

 

Papyrus nodded along carefully at the gradually deteriorating metaphor. Something about this all seemed… familiar. Important. But it was as if something was missing from his final conclusion.

 

“THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME WE’VE MET, IS IT?” Papyrus asked, curiously.

 

“ _ BOTHER _ . WHAT A MESS.” 

 

Death seemed rather put out, so Papyrus decided to see if he could help. This did seem somewhat related to him after all, whether he was the cause or not, he did seem to be a part of the problem. And he didn’t want to cause an upset!

 

“I’M... SORRY.” Papyrus spoke up, “IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP?”

 

Death looked back at Papyrus, steely blue gaze staring through the fidgeting skeleton.

 

“...NO. THAT IS UNLIKELY.”

 

He paused.

 

“REGARDLESS I’M SURE SOMEONE WILL BE SENT TO FIX THIS. EVENTUALLY. WE SHOULD PROCEED.”

 

“OH! OKAY!” Papyrus said, the surrounding world was drifting away from him. Whatever they'd been discussing suddenly didn't seem particularly important anymore. 

But...

“I HOPE SANS WILL BE OKAY, HE NEVER GETS UP ON TIME IF I DON’T WAKE HIM. WHATEVER WILL HE DO WITHOUT HIS COOL BROTHER THERE TO TAKE CARE OF HIM?”

 

Papyrus spoke as he faded, transparent white bones blending in with the white snow and red quickly following until Death stood alone.

 

After a moment, Death reached for another misshapen object from somewhere unknown, followed by several more.

  
Speaking to the empty air he said, “IF IT’S ANY CONSOLATION… I DON’T THINK THAT WILL BE A CONCERN.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this one shot for months because it's so short, but I might as well post what I've got.


End file.
